Best Benjamin Riggs Podcasts (2025)

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A Frank History of the Hot Dog with Jamie Loftus 36:37

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7d ago36:37

36:37

Historic foodways is a fan-favorite topic here on the podcast (pretzels, pizza, and many others) so we're thrilled to have comedian, Emmy Award-nominated TV writer, podcaster, and author of Raw Dog, the Naked Truth About Hot Dogs, Jamie Loftus join us today! Jamie's book is a blend of travelogue, culinary history, and critique of capitalism, reveal…

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Piracy and Pirates on the Chesapeake Bay with Dr. Jamie Goodall 26:20

14d ago26:20

26:20

When you think of pirates – you may think of far-off warm islands and tropical beaches or perhaps your mind goes to modern-day piracy off the dangerous horn of Africa – but you probably don’t think of the brackish waters of the Chesapeake Bay off the coast of Maryland and Virginia. Dr. Jamie Goodall has spent years studying that very story – and ha…

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Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free with Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson 34:32

21d ago34:32

34:32

Today we're joined by journalist and author Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson, talking about her critically-acclaimed book, Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free, which came out in June of 2025 from Simon & Schuster. Named a New York Times Editors’ Choice, an Amazon Editor’s pick for Best History, and a must-read book featured in Oprah Daily, …

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The Smithsonian Folklife Festival x Historic Trades with Jordan Riggs 34:20

28d ago34:20

34:20

Today we're joined by The Campaign for Historic Trades' Recruitment and Outreach Manager Jordan Riggs to talk about the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and The Campaign's role in this year's event, spotlighting the value of careers, training, and education in historic trades. The Campaign for Historic Trades, like PreserveCast, is powered by Preserva…

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Building for the Future: Cultural Heritage & Climate with Nina Jean-Louis 37:02

1M ago37:02

37:02

Today we're talking with Nina Jean-Louis, a structural engineer passionate about bridging engineering, cultural heritage, and climate science to design culturally sensitive strategies that help communities safeguard their heritage sites from climate change impacts. Her research involves transdisciplinary methodologies merging qualitative and quanti…

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Tailcoats to Tan Suits: Presidential Fashion with Summer Anne Lee 48:13

1M ago48:13

48:13

Today's episode features a first - a fashion historian, Brooklyn-based Summer Anne Lee. She has an MA in Fashion and Textile Studies from the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she currently teaches various courses in fashion history. Summer's research areas have included subcultural style and the history of women's underpinnings, and she is cu…

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Trades Takeover with John Chan of Durable Restoration 53:19

2M ago53:19

53:19

Trades Takeover is back! In this episode, Director of Historic Trades Natalie Henshaw speaks with John Chan, Principal and Executive VP for the Durable Slate Company. John is a nationally recognized expert in historic roofing and a passionate advocate for preserving traditional roofing methods. He started slate, tile and copper roofing at The Durab…

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Giants of Urban Design with Thomas Campanella 50:12

2M ago50:12

50:12

We're sitting down with historian and author of the new book, Designing the American Century: The Public Landscapes of Clarke and Rapuano, 1915–1965, Thomas Campanella. Tune in as we talk about two unsung giants of American landscape and urban design.By Preservation Maryland

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A Foundation for the Future with Benjamin Prosky from the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation 53:38

2M ago53:38

53:38

Today we're on with Benjamin Prosky, president of the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation, working to advance education, innovation, and stewardship in the fields of historic preservation, decorative arts, and historic landscapes. Listen in as Ben covers his preservation journey and the resources the Foundation stewards.…

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All Hands on Deck: a Maritime Story with Olive Theodore 35:31

2M ago35:31

35:31

Join us as we sit down with Olive Theodore, founder of Walrus Boat Recycling, a nonprofit project centered around saving and upcycling boats, and the capital campaign manager of the Center for Wooden Boats, aiming to connect each of us to Seattle's living maritime heritage of building, exploring, and using small boats through hands-on experiences. …

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Juneteenth at Williamsburg: Reclaiming the Story of the Bray School with Jack Gary 39:33

2M ago39:33

39:33

On this special-release episode of PreserveCast, we're sitting down with Jack Gary from Colonial Williamsburg’s Department of Archaeology to discuss the opening of a "new" site at Colonial Williamsburg. Today, on Juneteenth, Colonial Williamsburg is opening a powerful chapter of American history, the Williamsburg Bray School, the nation’s oldest-kn…

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The History of Juneteenth with Dr. Dennis Doster 28:46

3M ago28:46

28:46

In 2021 - 159 years after the first Juneteenth - the celebration became a federal holiday, changing the understanding of awareness of the holiday for millions of Americans. On this week’s PreserveCast, we’re talking with Dr. Dennis Doster, who runs the Black History Program for the Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation about wha…

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Preserving the Past for the Public with Susan McMahon 33:01

3M ago33:01

33:01

This week we're sitting down with Susan McMahon, Executive Director of the Landmark Trust USA, a nonprofit organization that preserves historic properties and makes them available as short-term vacation rentals. Susan has a background in community development and historic preservation. Historic preservation has always been a professional pursuit an…

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Paper Trails with Kathryn Mayer 30:37

3M ago30:37

30:37

On this week's PreserveCast we're joined by Kathryn Mayer, who built a searchable database of 19th-century coroner’s records with the Baltimore City Archives. We're chatting about her project and more about how to evaluate historic information.By Preservation Maryland

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Law and the Preservation Community with Marion Werkheiser and Will Cook 40:13

4M ago40:13

40:13

Today we're joined by Marion Werkheiser and Will Cook from Cultural Heritage Partners, a law firm that works to leverage humanity’s past to create a better future. With policy, funding, and staffing issues in the current political climate, the firm is working to educate the community and advocate for cultural heritage and historic preservation so o…

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Old House Lovers with Cristiana Pena 39:40

4M ago39:40

39:40

We're excited to sit down with Cristiana Pena, a digital communications expert in the preservation world. Cristiana is the social media director at CIRCA, where she creates an online community of old house enthusiasts by featuring real estate listings of historic properties.By Preservation Maryland

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Love Our Museums with Amy Kehs 29:01

5M ago29:01

29:01

Today we're chatting with Amy Kehs, a brand strategist and communications expert for museums. She has owned Kehs Communications since 2000 and has worked for the most renowned and well-loved museums in the Washington, D.C. area. Her goal is to ensure that museums thrive in the next century and she hopes people will come to love museums as much as s…

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Women Architects at Work with Dr. Mary Anne Hunting and Dr. Kevin D. Murphy 44:00

5M ago44:00

44:00

Today we're talking with Dr. Mary Anne Hunting and Dr. Kevin D. Murphy about their new book, Women Architects at Work: Making American Modernism, detailing the history of the women architects who left their enduring mark on American Modernism Dr. Mary Anne Hunting is an architectural historian and the author of Edward Durell Stone: Modernism’s Popu…

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The Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage with Laura Zimmerman and Liz Shatto 32:58

5M ago32:58

32:58

Today we're joined by Laura Zimmerman, Chair of the Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage, and Liz Shatto, Executive Director of the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area, about the history of the organization, this year's Washington County House and Garden Pilgrimage (Saturday, June 7th), and engaging the public around history and historic places. F…

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Preserving a Community Asset with Hank Levine 32:28

5M ago32:28

32:28

Today we're talking with Hank Levine is the President of the Bethesda (Maryland) Meeting House Foundation and the Secretary of the Bethesda Historical Society. He was a prime mover in the Foundation’s 2023 purchase of the Bethesda Meeting House site and leads its ongoing efforts to preserve/restore the site and turn it into an active community asse…

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Rediscovering Lost History with Jeffrey Ricketts 26:45

6M ago26:45

26:45

Today we're talking with Jeffrey Ricketts, who, in July of 2022, took ownership of Mullen’s Folly in Calvert, Maryland. Mullen’s Folly is a log house located in northeastern Cecil County, Maryland. It was built possibly before 1789. It operated as a general store from 1789-1823 servicing the surrounding community with a wide variety of goods source…

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Developing Multi-Sensory Experiences with Dr. Cheryl Fogle-Hatch 35:33

6M ago35:33

35:33

Today we're talking with Dr. Cheryl Fogle-Hatch, founder of MuseumSenses LLC, a consulting firm that helps museums develop multi-sensory exhibits for everyone, regardless of their visual acuity. Creating exhibit content with tactile and audio components engages blind people with history, the arts, and sciences. Exposing sighted people to tactile an…

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National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week with Russ Carnahan 26:14

6M ago26:14

26:14

Russ Carnahan, Honorary President and Strategic Advisor for Preservation Action, joins us today to discuss National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week. Congressman Carnahan served 4 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the St. Louis, MO region. He held several leadership positions including the Chairmanship of the bi-partisan H…

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Preserving Electronic Media with Mark Sledziewski 30:31

6M ago30:31

30:31

Today we're going back in time, as we often do, speaking with Mark Sledziewski about his work as the Executive Director of the the National Capital Radio & Television Museum in Bowie, Maryland. The museum collects, preserves, and interprets artifacts, programming, and publications to educate the public about the development and impact of electronic…

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The Mother of the American Valentine with Trisha Tanner 23:56

7M ago23:56

23:56

We're still feeling the love here at PreserveCast! Today we're talking with Trisha Tanner, Executive Director of the Alum Association at Mount Holyoke, about Esther Howland (Mount Holyoke class of 1847), known as the “mother of the American valentine.” At a time when most women didn't have the opportunity to be employed, let alone lead, Howland fou…